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Chapter 3

Author: Perfect Timing
Hannah held up her phone to show everyone the video.

The footage showed me carrying a cardboard box into the storage room. Not long after, a fire broke out in the storage room. Soon, the flames spread, and everyone in the company was trapped.

Hannah pointed at me and accused loudly, "It was her! She secretly started the fire in the storage room. She caused the company massive losses and got all of us caught up in this."

After hearing that, Peyton shoved aside the doctor and nurses trying to save me.

He grabbed my collar viciously. "Serena, I gave you a job out of kindness. Is this how you repay me? You know this company is my life's work, yet you set fire to it! What gives you the right to hop on an ambulance? You should go straight to prison!"

As he spoke, he dragged me by the collar, pulling me away.

While dragging me, he shouted, "Officer, I've found the arsonist! Arrest her and take her to jail! Legal team! Where's the company's legal team? Start drafting documents to sue her in court. I'm going to make this stupid woman pay for what she's done!"

Under Peyton's violent dragging, my collar tightened around my neck until I could barely breathe.

My subordinate, Sophia Carter, finally could not stand it anymore. She rushed over and pried Peyton's hands open, allowing me to catch my breath.

My face had turned purple from the suffocation. I coughed violently.

Sophia held me protectively, tears streaming down her face in distress. "Serena, why do you have to go through this..."

Peyton's expression darkened. "Sophia, you're my employee. Are you taking Serena's side now? If you dare say one word in her defense today, don't bother coming to work tomorrow."

Everyone fell silent at his words. Who would dare interfere in the CEO's family affairs and voluntarily lose their job?

I pushed Sophia, telling her to leave quickly. However, Sophia refused.

She turned to Peyton and shouted, "Mr. Shepherd, Hannah's video doesn't prove anything. You're the company's CEO. Can't you make a fair judgment?"

Peyton snorted dismissively. "Serena carried a cardboard box into the storage room for no reason. Isn't that suspicious? And after the fire started, she had a rescue rope and a protective mask. If she wasn't the arsonist, why would she have those things?"

Sophia felt indignant on my behalf. Her voice nearly broke as she said, "Serena is the administrative director. Normally, she wouldn't need to move things into the storage room herself.

"But with the company's declining performance these past two years, she's been moving inventory herself to save on labor costs.

"As for the fire safety equipment you mentioned, she prepared it long ago. Serena discovered fire hazards in the company ages ago and gave every single one of us an escape kit."

Peyton's expression changed. He said sharply, "You're lying! If everyone had one, why didn't Hannah and I get them?"

Sophia's eyes turned red as she pointed at Hannah. "Then you should ask her! Where did she put the things Serena distributed?"

Hannah's whole body trembled, and she waved her hands defensively. "Mr. Shepherd, I didn't. I didn't pocket them."

Hannah's inadvertent confession made Peyton's expression darken. Sophia looked at my stomach as tears poured down her face. She sobbed as she spoke to me. "Serena, the baby... Is the baby gone?"

Peyton flinched and demanded, "Baby? What baby?"

I shook my head, signaling Sophia to stop talking.

Peyton realized something. He moved toward me, desperate for answers, but just then, the police arrived.

"We heard you caught the arsonist. Who is it?"
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  • The Last Rope   Chapter 9

    Peyton squeezed his eyes shut in pain. He began slapping himself viciously across the face.He cursed himself with each slap, "I'm not human! I'm an animal!"He suddenly seemed to sober up and frantically called his lawyer. "Withdraw the divorce application."Turning to me, he said, "Serena, I'm not divorcing you! I was wrong. I was stupid. I trusted the wrong people. I..."I took his phone away and shook my head. "It's too late. I filed for divorce with the court a while ago. Even if you hadn't sent James today, the court would've sent you a summons. This divorce is happening."Peyton stared at me blankly, looking completely lost. He threw his arms around my legs, sobbing like a child."But you all lied to me! You told me my mother died in that accident. If it weren't for that, I never would have done those terrible things. Serena, can't we just call it even?""No."Thinking of all the grievances I suffered in the past three years, I could not help but laugh."Call it even? H

  • The Last Rope   Chapter 8

    "What did you say?" Peyton was utterly shocked. He instinctively grabbed his sister's arm."Mom's not dead? How is that possible? What's going on?"Leah spilled everything. It turned out Samantha's car accident had not been an accident at all. It had been a targeted attack on Peyton.It was not just Samantha. I was nearly hit by a car too. The only difference was that I had the family's driver behind the wheel, and his driving skills saved my life at the critical moment.Since Samantha's situation was urgent, I never told anyone about what happened to me.After Samantha was hospitalized, Peyton's enemy even tried to pull her off life support.My father-in-law, Liam Shepherd, and Leah decided to publicly announce that Samantha had died so that they could investigate who was behind it all.They also made me keep it a secret. I could not let Peyton know. If we were going to put on an act, we had to commit to it completely.For three years, I shouldered all the blame and let Peyton

  • The Last Rope   Chapter 7

    After staying in the hospital for a full month, I finally recovered somewhat. My damaged voice had also healed.On the day of my discharge, Sophia came to pick me up.While helping me pack, she told me, "Serena, while you were in the hospital, they found out what caused the company fire."I quickly asked, "Was it deliberate or accidental?"Sophia answered, "Hannah did it. She saw you go into the storage room and wanted to burn you alive, then make it look like an accident. But her method was too clumsy. The firefighters and police saw through it immediately."I was shocked. "Hannah actually wanted to burn me alive?""Yes. Hannah said she always wanted you and Mr. Shepherd to divorce, but he kept refusing. She saw you go to the storage room every day, and in the heat of the moment, she came up with this terrible idea.""And now, she's...""She's in detention now. She'll probably face prosecution soon. Either way, she's definitely going to prison."Her reckless decision has real

  • The Last Rope   Chapter 6

    Peyton and I were classmates. He fell for me at first sight and confessed not long after that.Back then, I was focused entirely on my studies and had no interest in dating, so I rejected him outright. However, Peyton persisted and pursued me for three years. Finally, in our junior year, I agreed to date him.In our senior year, he said he wanted to start his own business. I gave up a high-paying job offer to start from scratch with him and work hard together.In ten years, his company grew from a small studio with just the two of us into a large corporation with hundreds of employees in a spacious office.Yet, our relationship had completely fallen apart.Three years ago, the company reached a critical development phase.During that time, Peyton constantly attended business dinners and social events. More and more women began appearing around him.Others warned me to be careful, but I believed my bond with Peyton was solid and that there was nothing to worry about.Until one d

  • The Last Rope   Chapter 5

    "Miscarriage?" Even after hearing that, Peyton showed no sympathy. Instead, he stared at me viciously."So you really were cheating on me with another man! You shameless woman. I never should've listened to my mother and married you! If it weren't for you, my mother wouldn't have died!"Now, you even cheated on me and got pregnant. How can you still bring yourself to face me? How can you face my mother, who always protected you?"Hearing Peyton roar and curse at me like a wild animal, I wanted to defend myself—especially when he mentioned his mother.Yet as soon as I opened my mouth, I broke into a violent cough. My throat had been damaged by toxic smoke, and fresh red fingerprints marked my neck.I clutched the bed and hacked violently, nearly coughing up my lungs. Everyone present looked at me with heartache and concern. Only Peyton remained cold and mocking."Keep acting. Go ahead and keep acting. Let's see how long you can keep this up."The head nurse could not take it anym

  • The Last Rope   Chapter 4

    Peyton stared at my face for a long time before he finally pointed at me through gritted teeth."Officer, it's her! My employees have gathered sufficient evidence. The arsonist is Serena Snow! Please arrest her immediately. Sentence her, lock her up—whatever the law requires!"The investigating officers were shocked when they saw my half-dead state. "You're saying she's the arsonist? She looks like she's dying!"Peyton immediately shot back, "That's what she deserves!"The police quickly called over the doctor and nurses. "Hurry! We have a severely injured person here. Get her in the ambulance first. We'll escort her in our car. We need to get her to the hospital now!"Sophia perked up a bit and encouraged me. "Serena, hang in there. You'll be okay soon!"Yet unexpectedly, Peyton spread his arms wide and blocked the police."Didn't you hear me? I already told you she's the arsonist. She burned my company to the ground. Even if she pays for it with her worthless life, it still wo

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